


Surgical Strike

by esteefee



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-23
Updated: 2013-03-23
Packaged: 2017-12-06 04:29:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 624
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/731434
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esteefee/pseuds/esteefee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Steve knows what real family is now.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Surgical Strike

**Author's Note:**

> This is a coda/response to 03x18 Na Ki'i and contains spoilers as a result.
> 
> Thanks to kristen999 for the eyeballs.

Steve opened the door to his mother's house and stepped over the broken mess on the floor, pausing to pick up a fallen picture before dropping it again. He heard the glass break further as it hit.

Maybe he should've felt guilty about it, but he was all out of guilt.

He waited on the couch for her to come back to pick up her things, a light on beside him so she wouldn't freak out and shoot him as an intruder. The thought made him smile for a second at how not funny that was. He never had gotten a straight answer out of her for why she didn't shoot Wo Fat when she had a chance. 

Now he hoped he never would.

"Steven," she said as she came in, sounding stiff, angry. "This is a surprise." She walked over and crossed her arms as if she were going to deliver some sort of rebuke for his mouthing off earlier, but he cut her off before she could get started.

"I need you to listen me, Mom. Are you listening?"

Her expression softened. "I always listen to you, sweetheart."

He didn't roll his eyes. "The thing is, I have people in my life now. Good people. They don't keep secrets from me."

She laughed a little, bitterly. "Well, maybe they have options I don't."

"Maybe I don't care."

She opened her mouth in shock, and tears started in her eyes. 

That made this harder, and he had to remember his team: Danny's honesty, like gold, solid and true, and Chin's incredibly loyalty, and Kono's confidences and encouragement. Kamekona's faith. And Cath—her loyalty twisted by Doris into a knot he couldn't swallow.

"That's what it comes down to for me. I've figured out that's what I need—people who will stick with me and tell me the truth. That's what really makes family, Doris. And Cath is family now, and I won't let you mess that up for me, or mess with my ohana. So if I have to decide, I'm deciding. I've had enough of your lies. We're done, you understand?"

Tears were running down her face, and Steve had to look away, had to.

"Steve, please. I told you: I was trying to protect you guys. I've _always_ been trying to protect you—you and your father and—" 

He saw her eyes change, and stood quickly. "I've already talked to Mary, so don't get any ideas. I told her what you did, and what's going on. Not that I really know—you made sure of that. But I can't let you hurt us anymore. I can't." He wanted to apologize, but how did you apologize for something like this? Maybe she knew. She should. "I'm cutting our losses. Minimizing the risk. You should understand that. You and Joe taught me all about that."

Doris wasn't crying any longer. Her eyes were as hard as agates. "I see."

"Yeah. You should." He took a deep breath. "You have to know I wanted this to work, I wanted you to—I wanted it, Mom. I let things slide as long as I could."

"Oh, sure. Sure you did." She was smiling now, a bitter, angry smile, so Steve wasn't sure if she was even listening. 

Steve shook his head and stepped forward. "But here's the deal—stay away from us. Your problems aren't ours anymore. And if you make them Five-Oh's, you may not like what happens."

"Steve. You're going to regret this. I'm your mother. I'm the only one you two have—" 

"I'm done." Steve walked blindly toward the door, his thoughts scrambled. Plaster crunched under his shoes. But that was Doris' mess to clean up.

It wasn't his responsibility anymore.

 

_End._


End file.
